On Thursday, IBM launched its Microservice Builder, a new technology stack that promises to streamline the process for developing and delivering microservices on premises or in the cloud. The solution offers comprehensive support and step-by-step instructions for building microservices as well.

According to the product's website, Microservice Builder offers guidance on "configuration, development, deployment, capacity planning and monitoring." The goal is to make it easier for developers to get from the start of the development lifecycle to running these microservices in production.

Microservice Builder also works with containerized apps built with Docker, and integrates with developer tools like Kubernetes and Istio, the open source project launched by Google, IBM, and Lyft in May 2017. As the Istio project grows, the integration between it and Microservice Builder will become stronger.

"Microservice Builder also takes advantage of other tools, such as Istio, that simplify the integration and management of microservices so development teams can spend more time updating apps with new features and less time manually configuring them," Denis Kennelly, general manager of IBM Hybrid Cloud, said in a press release.

IBM's new solution starts at the beginning of the microservices building process—writing and testing the code. It also offers support for deployment, and new feature updates as well, the release said. Functions such as runtimes and resiliency testing can be standardized with Microservice Builder, and policies and protocols can be put in place to guarantee compatibility.

Developers can use MicroProfile and Java EE programming models, Maven, Jenkins, and more with the Microservice Builder. Users can also build an integrated DevOps pipeline to help automate pieces of the development lifecycle, the release said. Security in the platform is handled through OpenID Connect and JSON Web Token.

Microservices are growing in popularity as a more collaborative approach to application development, and as a simplification of key app features. One example of a microservice could be an application that monitors inventory data and product availability for a retailer, the release said.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

IBM's Microservice Builder is a new technology stack that makes it easier to build and deploy apps in a microservices framework, on premises or in the cloud.

Microservice Builder works with containerized apps built with Docker, and integrates with Kubernetes and the open source Istio project.

The solution also provided end-to-end support throughout the development lifecycle.